The Story Behind How Pocket Hit 20M Users with 20 People and the Need for a New Science of Progress

The Story Behind How Pocket Hit 20M Users with 20 People and the Need for a New Science of Progress

In the world of business and innovation, it is often believed that the size of a team determines its impact and success. However, the story of Pocket, a popular app that reached 20 million users with only 20 employees, proves that this is not always the case. The founder of Pocket, Nate Weiner, was initially skeptical of the idea of having a large team. He couldn't understand why a team of ten would work on something that one person could handle. This led him to realize that having a smaller team forced them to stay focused and work on what was critically important.

With a small headcount, Weiner was able to cultivate and maintain Pocket's culture during its formative years. The culture of Pocket was not an abstract concept but rather a set of values centered around trust, scrappiness, and ownership. It is often said in the tech industry that a company's culture is heavily influenced by its founder's personality traits. In the case of Pocket, this rings true. Weiner's leadership and values shaped the company's culture, making it more concentrated and cohesive.

The concept of company culture can be likened to a stew rather than a salad. Just like a stew, the ingredients are carefully chosen and simmered together to create a rich and flavorful dish. Similarly, a company's culture should be built by bringing together a few choice ingredients, allowing them to blend and develop over time. This approach allows for a better understanding of what the culture delivers and lacks, as opposed to hastily throwing everything together from the start.

Having a small team also enables stronger bonds and a shared worldview to form more quickly. Complex hierarchies often hinder communication and collaboration, but with fewer people, these barriers are minimized. Moreover, a small team can extend its reach beyond its walls by involving external stakeholders in decision-making processes. The team at Pocket constantly asks themselves how they can make things simpler for everyone involved. By not reinventing the wheel and ensuring that their products and processes are straightforward, they create an environment that encourages adoption and minimizes unnecessary work.

While Pocket's story highlights the impact of a small team, the idea of progress itself is also worth exploring. In his article, "We Need a New Science of Progress," the author argues that progress is often overlooked and understudied. When we talk about progress, we refer to a combination of economic, technological, scientific, cultural, and organizational advancements that have transformed our lives and raised standards of living over the past few centuries.

The author mentions that most significant discoveries and advancements have originated from small geographic pockets of innovative effort. Examples include Silicon Valley in the software industry and Switzerland's Basel region in life sciences. These concentrated hubs of innovation demonstrate that progress can arise from smaller-scale improvements that collectively contribute to significant advancements for society.

Despite the evident impact of progress, there is no broad-based intellectual movement dedicated to understanding and speeding up its dynamics. The author suggests that the world would benefit from an organized effort to study and harness progress. This would involve identifying and training talented individuals, facilitating effective idea exchange among small groups, incentivizing participants in innovative ecosystems, analyzing productivity differences between organizations, and addressing various related issues.

The concept of Progress Studies can be likened to medicine rather than biology. The goal is not merely to understand progress but to actively seek interventions that can accelerate it. This would require a decentralized shift in priorities among academics, philanthropists, funding agencies, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and other institutions. The success of Progress Studies would lie in its ability to identify and promote effective progress-increasing interventions.

In conclusion, the story of Pocket and the need for a new science of progress highlight the power of small teams and the importance of understanding and nurturing progress. Three actionable pieces of advice that can be derived from these insights are:

1. Embrace razor focus: Instead of expanding your team unnecessarily, focus on what is critically important. Avoid getting distracted by future plans and prioritize the tasks that need to be done now.

2. Cultivate a strong company culture: Like a stew, let your company culture simmer and develop over time. Start with a few key ingredients and allow them to blend naturally. This will result in a more concentrated and cohesive culture.

3. Seek progress through smaller advancements: Recognize that progress can come from smaller-scale improvements. Encourage continuous innovation and collaboration within your team or industry to collectively drive significant advancements.

By incorporating these actionable pieces of advice, it is possible to achieve great impact and accelerate progress, regardless of the size of your team or industry. Humanity needs to embrace the potential of small teams and invest in understanding and fostering progress to create a better future.